Chateauneuf sur Charante to Cognac

Thursday 3rd June
Chateauneuf sur Charante to Cognac
We left early for us as Madame had a job looking after a nonagenarian and Monsieur wanted to go to the market. The sun was hot by 10 when we left. Breakfast had been left out for us, the usual huge cereal bowls for the coffee, brioche, bread and for the first time in ages - peaches. Once again we were urged to take anything we hadn’t eaten so for the second time in a week we left looking more than usually like tinkers.
We have now run out of disused railway line but the local department have signed wonderful cycle routes which keep you to flat(ish) ground and lead you though countless charming villages. It is hard to know which area looks more prosperous, this brandy growing region or the Medoc area the other side of Bordeaux.

In amongst all of this tranquility we came across a War Memorial dedicated to a member of the Resistance who after capture had swallowed a cyanide pill rather than disclose the names of his accomplices’ whilst under torture. The Memorial also remembered the Lysander pilots who had been ambushed and killed whilst landing to drop off whatever it was the Resistance had needed at the time. In such a peaceful setting it was hard to imagine all of those events taking place.

Memorials and the place where the Lysanders landed and were ambushed.

We stopped in Jarnac (home of Courvoisier) to eat our picnic by the river and to feed some of yesterday’s brioche to the ducks. We had to do this as on the other bank some children were chastising a swan with a tree branch which we could see was going to end in tears, so anything to distract it.

The Courvoisier building complete with barrels in the windows!

AA distracting the swan!

As the afternoon wore on we continued on our way to Cognac where we were already booked in so no rush. We passed the Cognac Golf Club where one of last night’s guests was playing at 3pm so put our shirts back on in case we saw him. We stopped just outside Cognac to cool our feet and arrived at about 6pm.

Vivi cooling her feet!

The first thing that strikes you is the number of brandy houses there are. All the usual suspects like Remy Martin, Hine, Martell have their huge headquarter buildings but there are masses of other lesser known (to us) houses there too. Not really so surprising as it is exported and drunk all over the world. Cognac is a pleasant town with the Charante running through it and large houses overlooking the water.

Puygareau, Baignes Ste Radegonde to Chateauneuf sur Charante

Wednesday 2nd June
Puygareau, Baignes Ste Radegonde to Chateauneuf sur Charante.
Breakfast was on the table and there was enough food to feed an army. Madame joined us for a cup of coffee and there was an awful lot to talk about. Her husband is the Marie of the town as well as farming beef and veal amongst other ventures. We had to keep popping out to look at various plants in the garden, so in fact there wasn’t much time to eat the huge spread. However as we were leaving she pressed 2 whole cheeses, cherries, brioches and more into our hands as we hadn’t managed to finish them. It was not surprising that later in the day my bike had it’s first puncture, probably caused by the stress of carrying all the extra weight! It doesn’t seem to matter which way we are facing but there is always a headwind. Today was no exception but fortunately we were on the old railway line again which is quite sheltered, for the first part of the day. Thereafter we followed the suggested bike route which took us along little roads, through hamlets interspersed with huge woods and fields full of corn and wheat.The birdsong is fantastic. We are just entering Cognac country and recorded this. Unidentified birdsong but we now know it is a Golden Oriel!


the farmers are busy sprayingtheir vines with goodness knows what, and unlike in the U.K they are not remotely bothered by there being too much wind. As we went past we had to hold our breath and go as fast as possible as the spray spread all over the road.


Reignac Village


I wondered why my bike was feeling particularly heavy on a long push up a hill until I noticed the flat tyre. By this time Alec was a good half mile ahead so I had to ring him up to call for help. Fortunately he is awfully good at this now and in no time, all had been sorted so we ate our feast overlooking the valley. Shortly after that, as we were whizzing down a hill, a bee decided to fly down the front of my shirt which gave us both (that is me and the bee) a fright. As my family will know they are not my favourite insects after an incident with a swarm so I had to be very brave and after only a little shrieking and wobbling, Alec found him on his way out of the bottom of my shirt, after only stinging me once. We arrived in Chateauneuf sur Charante, which is a small town rather over shadowed by it’s too rather more prosperous looking neighbours, Jarnac and Cognac.
Having telephoned two Logis looking for a bed and been told they were full, we called in at the Tourist Office for help. They offered us a house with a pool but it was 3 miles back the way we’d come at the top of a hill and one in town only 500yds away. Despite the hill and having to retrace our steps we opted for the pool, but sadly when called there was no reply. The more local option said yes and asked if we’d like supper too – so we grabbed this with both hands and cycled off to meet them.
Madam was about 65, quite large and had a powerful voice and fond of giving us all very big hugs. Monsieur was ten years older and fiddled about a lot. They had two red setters one permanently attached to an old Citroen CV which doubled as a kennel and Monsieur’s runabout. My hanky soon disappeared into the kennel when I laid it out for Vivi to sit on. The house was a huge old town house with polished floors and masses of antiques and ancient sailing boats in glass cases. Not really knowing the protocol for the timing of supper we opted to have it with them at 7.30 only to find they had invited friends and presumably had no intention of doing anything before 8.30. So we admired the veg patch and the hutch full of lapins (for the pot) and waited. Supper was a reasonably jolly affair with Vivi gallantly leading the conversation from start to finish – made considerably easier and more fluent by Monsieur offering us a glass of Pineau as an aperitif and when we couldn’t make up our minds as to red or white gave us a bucketful of both. We noticed that his wife and guests had one colour and only a thimbleful, the same went for all the courses and particularly the bowls of strawberries – this was rather embarrassing but then again we were paying guests.
Supper consisted of potted duck, soup, cold pork, turkey, saussisson, hot potatoes and salad, cheese then pudding. At about 10.30 we excused ourselves and went to bed the others left very noisily an hour later.

From the B&B

Coutras to Baignes-Ste-Radegonde

Tuesday 1st June
Coutras to Baignes-Ste-Radegonde
We were unable to do justice to the enormous breakfast laid out for us, the evidence of the cats was too overpowering! Setting off in mild rain which fortunately soon dried up we were back to the humps and dips of the rivers and streams, mostly following the River Lary – it was exhausting but picturesque as always.


River Lary near Coutras


There aren’t so many vines here in fact compared to what we’ve been seeing there are quite a variety of activities including bloodstock breeding.





One of many mares and foals.




We still see hoopoes and hear crickets and wonder for how much longer this will be possible. We saw a hare today which is unusual as most of them have ended up in a pot long ago, and a house called Les Reynardieres which is presumably the same as Foxwarren or something! The countryside is so enormous that you expect to see lots of deer or other wildlife but there are none at all. In places it is similar to the sandy areas and heathland around Bovington and home.
Once again we hadn’t booked in anywhere so were relying on finding a tourist office – open. There was one in Montguyon (open at 2pm) who were extremely helpful but as they are in Haute Charante which is 5ks south of Charante (another district) they had no idea what lay ahead for us! So it was into an internet bar where we found a B&B. From just south of Montguyon we have struck another Voie Verte which is tarmac and very easy to travel on so the afternoon was an easy ride past countless converted railway stations, vineyards and chateaux





Chateau Magdeleine and it's vines - near Montguyon.



and arrived at the B&B at about 6pm. Madame is a very lovely farmer’s wife who runs the place as a B&B and at the weekend it is an Auberge for parties of up to 50. She seems to work her socks off and when not B&B’ing is in her spectacular garden – almost as good as Pen and Jimmy’s.

Vivi asked all the right questions about her garden so before being shown to our room we were given a tour and Vivi staggered up the stairs with 2 very beautiful roses and lots of ideas for how to redevelop our garden. The French names for flowers are almost identical to the English which makes them a great deal easier to talk about than birds, as they are entirely different. We have managed to learn a few and my favourite is the wren which is a ‘Troglodyte’
We had our usual 2 mile bike ride into the local village for supper which was in a brand new restaurant, and it was packed with locals trying it out so we were lucky to get in. Fortunately it is still light now until 10pm so cycling home is not a problem.

Monday 31st May
St Emilion to Coutras
Our son-in-law Simon had told us we’d enjoy discovering St Emilion – how once up on the plateau there are plenty of little lanes to explore with famous vineyards and chateaux on every corner - and he was absolutely right. We had a wander around the town which boasts no charity shops, New Looks or supermarkets; it is far too genteel for any of that. Just cobbled streets, interior designers, dress shops, delis and vignerons – lots of the latter!

Looking back at St Emilion from the train.

First stop was the Tourist Office to find out where some of the Chateaux best known to us are. A very helpful girl queried whether we could possibly have had Moulin St George and told us we must have got that one wrong – chastened we slunk off.

Cloisters by the Collegiale

As the town is on the top of an escarpment ‘Le Train Des Grands Vignobles’ seemed like the easiest option to tour the town and the surrounding vineyards. It was effortless, good fun and very interesting and best of all, the train took us straight past Moulin St George which is immediately below the town hall and ramparts.

The Train!

We nearly returned to tell her it was where we had been told, but the office was closed, so we had a walk around La Collegiale church which is yet another ancient beauty. I wondered if my father had visited this all those years ago whilst he was studying wine in Bordeaux. We then treated ourselves to a small glass of St Emilion  (purely for research purposes) and a little light luncheon before heading north towards Guitres. We hadn’t booked anywhere to stay as we weren’t sure how long we would stay in town, and this is always a mistake. A few hours and a lot of hills later we still hadn’t seen a single chambre d’hote or hotel. However, we had really enjoyed meandering around the villages. It is a very pretty area and all so beautifully kept. However once the countryside flattened out and became less suitable for growing wine, it was much less attractive. Guitres lies 15 miles north of St Emilion on the river L’Isle. We were in luck there as they had a tourist office, it was open and they were wonderfully helpful. As is always the case on a Monday the town was mostly shut and in the end we had to head for Coutras a few miles away. They booked the b&b for us and told us to follow the old river road, instead of the main road. All very well until we found it was closed off by a large barrier back-filled with earth. Everything had to be unloaded and the bikes carried over, twice in 100 yards, before we re-joined the main road. It was worth it as there was a lot of traffic on the other one. Our b&b was a lovely old gentleman’s residence occupied by a charming widow and her incontinent cats.

Eynesse to St Emilion

Sunday 30th May
Eynesse to St Emilion
The trip today not being very far meant we didn’t have to hurry. So we had a leisurely breakfast (back in the dining room with last night’s guests) and then took advantage of their wi-fi by catching up on day’s worth of emails and skyping the girls. It was also drizzling very determinedly which is never an incentive for setting off. But by 12 we had outstayed our welcome so forced ourselves to leave and ended up 500 yds away sheltering in a bus shelter. The plan was to follow the Dordogne but for most of the journey it was obscured only making an appearance at Flaujagues, in fact we saw more red squirrels than sightings of the river. There are some gorgeous houses all along the river bank and hidden in the valleys, confirming the advantage of a life in the City to that of a gamekeeper!!


The Dordogne





Chateaux at Flaujagues

We crossed the Dordogne at Castillon-la-Bataille, where rather wet and dishevelled, we had some lunch before starting the slow ascent to St Emilion which seemed to take forever. Last night’s hostess had booked us into another chambre d’hote so at least we had nothing to worry about except finding it.
Arriving at Clarissa's don't know how this happened, but a car rally went by and I seem to have been in 'stitch' whatever that is!
To our amazement madame was a dead ringer for Clarissa Dixon-Wright and to our eternal gratitude she had put the heating on for us, as last night’s hostess had warned her we would be arriving ‘wet’. The radiators were positively humming which was very welcome indeed. For supper we had to cycle the 1.5k’s back into St Emilion, picked a restaurant which externally looked amusing but inside was damp and cold and just felt all wrong. The waiter was determined we should sit in the darkest gloomiest corner despite the fact that the place was empty, so we left. (that’s a first we must be becoming a lot more assertive) and went to another one in the square where we were a lot more at home and had a very good dinner. In fact we had a jolly good evening!

Saturday 29th May
Botte – Eynesse.We always enjoy staying in Chambre d’hotes when there isn’t anyone else staying at the same time, as it gives us the opportunity to talk to our hosts without being too self conscious and to find out a little bit about how they live their lives. Today we had a leisurely breakfast with Madame who worked within the AOC whilst her husband runs the b&b side of things, surrounded by the family farm.
Duras which was our first stop has a Chateau on the side of a very steep hill, so we were feeling quite well exercised by the time we had reached the top and the Chateau gates.



Duras chateau



OK this is the 'cow shoeing room' and in the absence of a cow Vivi very bravely stood in! This room is also know as the whispering room. If you stand facing a corner and someone stands facing the diagonal corner you can whisper to one another and no one in the room can hear you. Yes, it works!

We had a very happy time exploring it. It has had a chequered history having been built in medieval times and after that was the family seat of the Dukes of Duras who were very influential in Louis XV’s reign. What also helped to swell the family fortune was an uncle being Pope who saw to it that the family’s influence was extended by building castles and acquiring land. The same Pope was also responsible for moving the Papacy from Rome to Avignon. After the French revolution the chateau had passed through many hands before falling into disrepair. Fortunately the town managed to buy it in the 1950s and they make full use of it now, and it is most interesting with lots of information. They also let it for weddings and today the great dining hall was laid up for a wedding party this afternoon - to some British so we enjoyed looking at the table plan, but couldn’t recognise anyone! However the town was packed with Brits all presumably there for the wedding.
We then set off northwards again towards Eynesse which is on the River Dordogne midway between Bergerac and St Emilion. It was a lovely ride even if it was undulating but eventually was spoiled somewhat by some irritatingly persistent rain. Lunch was a standing only affair under a tree at the side of the road – not what we’ve become accustomed to. However we were privileged to watch several hundred swifts swooping and catching flies over our heads a flock of geese, some ducks and a donkey.
Arriving in Eynesse we followed signs to our B&B which was right on the banks of the Dordogne. This was an old farmhouse delightfully furnished and decorated. Our room was in a converted shed which was a bit damp but apart from that OK. We were told dinner was at 8 but that all the guests would assemble at 7.30 for a pre dinner aperitif. Now that was something that I (Alec) was not looking forward to and all my anxieties were confirmed as soon as we set foot into the drawing room at 7.35. Firstly we were obviously late and secondly the ‘other guests’ consisted of a young married couple a mixed couple, and an all girl couple, and conversation was not their strong point. Also their combined ages probably didn’t come near to ours. So we decided that it really was not our responsibility to instigate a discussion so stared into our rapidly emptying glasses of pamplemousse sparkling wine (very nice) and wished that a hole would open up before us and we’d fall into it!
Dinner was delicious and consisted of Courgette and Goats Cheese terrine, parmentier of duck and prune gateaux which we ate as soon as possible in order to be able to escape. Fortunately the urge to smoke meant there was a steady stream heading for the door so getting out was easy. In fact it wasn’t all bad; our host and hostess were charming and had we been there on our own we would have had an easy and very entertaining evening!

Friday 28th May
Legruere (on the canal) to Botte
Today we have thrown caution to the wind and set off in a northerly direction – abandoning our comfort zone and the security of the Canal du Midi - destination amongst others, St Emilion. At first the route was quite flat and we crossed the Garonne River at Tonneins where we had stayed last October and started heading across country towards Duras. The worst thing about going north /south in this region is that all the rivers and streams run from north east to south west so there is never more than 1 mile before you are either going down or worse still, going up. We followed the river Dropt as much as possible and this is fruit and nut country. There are huge orchards of hazelnuts and walnuts, interspersed with apples, plums and vines.



Something for the bees




Gontaud de Nogaret covered market

It is glorious rolling countryside full of old stone houses and converted barns. As we near the Dordogne the first thing that strikes you is the number of English cars and houses called ----- Farmhouse. We can see why it is so popular as the landscape is very similar to Gloucestershire and around Bath, on a rather larger scale. From the top of each hill the views are stunning so it is worth the extra effort and as we always remind each other, there is no such thing as a hill that you can’t push your bike up! I think that I must have covered at least a fifth of France doing exactly this. We had a coffee in a shop which sold everything imaginable in a village called St Barthelemy

Yes this shop sells everything!

And then ate lunch at a ‘viewing point’ above Monteton before whizzing down the hill to Botte where we are booked into a B&B. Fortunately it hasn’t been so hot today but we felt well exercised on arrival.

View north towards the Dropt.

We were made very welcome yet again and our host very kindly helped us to plan our next day’s trip, showing us the route and ringing the b&b for us. We biked into the neighbouring village for a good supper. It is bliss to be able to return whilst it is still daylight and the sunset tonight was spectacular.